Picker-stick-check for looms



Sept. 3, 1929. w. B. BERMINGHAM 1,726,799

PICKER STICK CKECK FOR LOOMS Filed March 24, 1928 l I MM+M Patented Sept. 3, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM B. BERMINGHAM, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO CROMP- TON & KNOWLES LOOM WORKS, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION i F MASSACHUSETTS.

EICKER-STICK-CHECKv FOR LOOMS.

Application filed March 2.4, 1928. Serial No. 264,407.

This invention relates to improvements in picker stick checks for looms and it is the principal object of the invention to provide a check which applies a variable restraining force for the picker stick as the lay moves without subjecting the picker stick to any lateral strains.

It has been proposed heretofore to employ picker stick checks comprising a leather strap the forward and inner'end of which is connected to fixed structure. By this construction, as the lay moves forwardly, the picker stick is permitted by the strap to move outwardly with a gradual motion, thereby checking the motion of the shuttle. When the forward end of the strap is held to a fixed point, however, it is found that the weaver is not able to place the shuttle all the way into the box when the lay is in its rearward position and to overcome this objection it is customary to provide for a certain resilient movement on the part of the forward end of the strap. Such devices have ordinarily acted at an angle to the plane in which the picker stick moves,

so that the upper end of the latter is caused to move along in rather close Contact with the.

forward wall of the slot in the box plate, causing undesirable wear, or, if a sliding picker is used, the latter will wearunduly by being held against the picker spindle.

It is an important obj ect of my presentin-` vention to provide a picker stick check employing some of the features of the previously described forms but to construct the same so that the portion thereof'which has contact with the picker stick will lie and move in a plane parallel to or coincident with the plane in which the picker stick moves. This result is achieved by requiring the flexible element which has connection with the picker stick to pass around a guide secured to and moving with the lay, so that there is no relative angular movement with respect to the guide and the plane in which the picker stick moves.

tion to make the aforesaid guide in the form of a friction device which is effective to resist outward movement of the picker stick but which will be so placed as not to interfere 5.0 with picking.

With these and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, my invention resides in the combination and ar-v It is a further object of my present invenw` rangement of parts hereinafter described and set forth in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein I have shown a convenient embodiment of myv invention,

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of one end of the loom having my invention applied thereto,

Fig. 2 is a vertical section on line 2-2 of Fig. l,

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on line 3--3 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 4 is a detail elevation taken in the direction of arrow 4, Fig. 2, and

Fig. 5 is a top plan view taken in the direction of arrow 5, Fig. 1, showing the relation between the picker and the picker spindle.

Referring to theV drawings, it will be seen that I have provided a loom frame 10 and a lay 11 together with a rocker shaft 12. A rocker foot 13 is secured to the shaft 12 in any approved manner and has pivotally connected thereto as at 14: the lower end of the usual picker stick 15. The upper end of said picker stick extends close to a spindle l'and through a picker 17 guided by the spindle. The upper end of said picker stick is operatively related to the picker spindle as indicated in Fig. 5 to cause said picker to move inwardly or to the right as viewed in Fig. l at the'time of picking. Any forward motion of the picker stick will be communicated to the spindle 16to subject the latter to lateral strains and the picker to wearing.

The lower end of the picker stick is operatively connected to a lug strap 18 attached in the usual manner to the powerA stick 19 to be actuated in any approved manner. Boxes 2O forthe shuttles S may be mounted on the lay 11 and derive vertical movement from a box lifter rod 21 which may be actuated in any approved manner and have the lower end thereof guided by the rocker arm 13.

In order to return the picker stick to its normal or full line position as shown in Fig. 1 there may be employed the usual spring 27, the right end ofwhich may be connected to any fixed structure not shown and the left end of which may be attached to a flexible element such as strap 23 which is secured as at 24 to a portion of the picker stick below thel pivot 14. The matter thus far described is of common construction and forms no part 105 of my present invenOll, the picker Stick by means of mechanism not shown being given an inward motion when the lay is moving rearwardly. Y

My improvements, as previously stated, relate to the checking of the picker stick as one or another of the shuttles is received by the box corresponding thereto. As each shuttle is boxed it engages the picker 17 and through the latter acts to move the picker stick to the outer end of the lay by an abrupt action. In carrying my invention into effect I provide a flexible strap 30 which as shown in Fig. 3 is looped around the picker stick l and has the free end thereof connected to the body of the strap by a rivet or similar device 31 to form theloop through which the stick passes. That portion of the strap which extends from the loop and the picker stick and indicated at 32 is substantially parallel to the lay 11 and rocker shaft 12 and in eect lies in the plane in which the picker stick 15 moves.

rIhe rocker foot is provided with an upstanding arm 33 to which is attached the depending` wing 34of a friction and guide member 35. A bolt 36 extending through an arm 33 passes through a slot 37 in the wing 34 to permit an adjustment of the wing and -member in a direction perpendicular to the rocker shaft 12 and therefore transversely with respect to the plane in which the picker stick moves.

The member 35 is provided with a substantially vertical web 33 having a rounded smooth surface 39 around which the leather strap 30 extends. The web 38 may have a flange 40 extending substantially horizontally and acting to limit upward movement of the strap 30. Said member 35 may have secured therein a. pin 41 which extends sufficiently close to the flange 40 to prevent accidental displacement of the strap 30. The pin may be made removable as indicated by the threads 42 which extend into the member 35.

. screw 45.

From the surface 39 the flexible strap extends forwardly asv at `43 and has attached thereto the rear end of a tension spring 44 the forward end of which is connected to a Thev latter extends through a bracket 46 held to the loom frame 10 and carries nut 47 by meals ofl which the tension of the spring 44 may be varied.`

In operation, as the-lay reaches approxiu mately itsmid position when moving rearunder sufhcient tension to resist a sudden outward movement of the picker stick to check the shuttle, but it will be seen that the force exerted by the spring 44 on the picker stick is a function of the position of the lay, the retarding force diminishing as the lay moves forwardly and being correspondingly greater when the lay is in a rearward position. As the strap moves outwardly it slides along the surface 39 to increase the resistance offered to the shuttle as the same is checked.

It will be seen that no matter what the position of the lay or the tension of the spring 44, the restraining force exerted on the picker stick moves in a direction parallel to the motion of the picker stick so that the latter is subjected to practically no lateral strains.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided a very simple form of picker stick check where the restraining force acting on the picker stick varies with the backward and forward position of the lay, but -that the force is applied to the picker stick in a plane substantially parallel to that in which the picker stick swings. It will further be seen that in order to make use of the variation in the pressure applied to the picker stick for the several positions of the lay the spring 44 must extend in a direction transverse to the plane of the picker stick and that the bend in the flexible element 30 which is necessary in order to connect the spring to the'picker stick extends around a friction element which adds to the checking eect of the spring. It will also be seen that the member. 35 and the friction surface 39 move with the lay around the pivot of the latter and may be adjusted with respect to the plane in which the picker stick moves so that the direction of application of the restraining force on the picker stick may be varied.

Having thus described my invention it will be apparent that changes and modifications may be made therein by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and I do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, but what I claim is:

1. A picker stick check for a loom having a lay provided with a picker stick having a swinging movement to propel the'shuttle, a flexible member having operative connection with t-he picker stick and having a portion extending inwardly from the picker stick substantially in the same plane as that in which the picker stick swings, and means acting in a direction transverse to the plane in which the picker stick swings and operatively connected to the flexible member and picker stick at all times throughout the movement of the lay and yielding to resist outward movement of the picker stick.

2. A picker stick check for a loom having a lay provided with a picker stick having a swinging movement to propel the shuttle, a flexible member having operative connection with the picker stick and having a portion extending inwardly from the picker stick substantially in the same plane as that in which the picker stick swings, means acting in a direction transverse to the plane in which the picker stick swings and operatively connected to the flexible member and picker stick at all times throughout the movement of the lay and yielding to resist outward movement of the picker stick, and a friction element around which the flexible member extends.

3. A picker stick check for a loom having a lay provided with a picker stick having a swinging movement to propel the shuttle, a flexible member having operative connection with the picker stick and having a portion extending inwardly from the picker stick substantially in the same plane as that in which the picker stick swings, resilient means acting in a direction transverse to the plane in which the picker stick swings and operatively connected to the flexible member and picker stick at all times throughout the movement of the lay and yielding to resist outward movement of the picker stick, a friction element around which the flexible member extends, said friction element being movable with the lay, and holding means for the resilient means extending forwardly toward the front of the loom and held in fixed position.

4. A picker stick check for a loom having a lay provided with a picker stick having a swinging movement to propel the shuttle, a flexible member operatively connected to and tending to resist movement of the picker stick in an outward direction, a friction element moving with the lay and movable to assume a plurality of positions relatively to the lay in a direction transverse to the plane in which the 'picker stick moves, said flexible member extending around the friction element, and resilient means attached to the flexible member at a point in front of the friction element and operatively connected to the picker stick at all times throughout the movement of the lay and tending to resist movement of the flexible member around the friction element when the shuttle moves the picker stick outwardly.

5. A picker stick check foi` a loom having a lay provided with a picker stick having a swinging movement to propel the shuttle, a rocker foot for the lay, a friction element movably mounted on the rocker foot and capable of assuming a plurality of positions relatively to the plane in which the picker stick swings, a flexible member having operative contact with the picker stick and having one portion extending substantially parallel to the plane in which the picker stick swings, said flexible member extending around the friction element and having another portion extending in a direction transverse to the plane in which the picker stick swings, said flexible member and friction element cooperating to resist-outward movement of the picker stick, and yielding means connected to said other portion of the flexible member and operatively connected to the picker stick at all times throughout the movement of the lay, said yieldable means, friction element and fiexible member cooperating to resist movement of the picker stick in an outward direction.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature.

WILLIAM B. BERMINGHAM.

ifi. 

